Car-coupling.



No. 663,640. Patented Dec. Il, |906.

W. F. RICHARDS.

Y(EAR COUPLING.

(Application alemanas 14, 1900.)

UNITED" STATES .atar ritten VILLARD F. RICHARDS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK,ASSIGNOR TO THE GOULD OOUPLER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 663,640, datedDecember lll 1900 Application tied June 14. 1900. saranno. 20.317.lNomodel-J To a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD F. RICHARDS, a citizen ofthe United States,residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, havein vented new and useful Improvements in Gar-Couplings, of which thefollowing is a specication.

This invention relates to that class of twinjaw carcouplings having ahorizontallyswinging jaw or knuckle and a horizontally-swinging lock,commonly known as the Gould lock, and a spring which holds the lock inengagement with the tailpiece of the knuckle, and more especially to animprovement in the coupler of this class shown andl described in LettersPatent of the United States No.,584,893, granted to me June 22,

detached side elevation of the abutment ofthe lock-spring. Fig. 5 is atop plan view thereof. Fig. 6 is a transverse section in line 6, Fig. l,the thrust-rod, spring, and bearing-block being omitted.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A is the chambered draw-head of ordinary construction, and A the hollowdraw-bar.

B is the knuckle, C the horizontally-swinging lock mounted on thevertical pivot c, and D D' are the customary inclines arranged in thedraw-head above and below the lock for swinging the same backward whenraised and forward when released.

E is the link which connects the lock with the usual operating devicesand which are not shown in the drawings.

F is the thrust-rod arranged in the drawhead and the draw-bar and havingits front end connected with the free end of the lock,

preferably by engaged eyes f f, arranged on these parts, as shown, so asto form a swiveling connection, which permits the thrust-rod to freelyfollow the combined vertical and horizontal movements of the lock. Therear portion of this thrustrod is guided. in a hollow longitudinalabutment or abutmentsocket G, which is removably arranged in thedraw-bar and provided in its closed rear end with an opening g, throughwhich the thrustrod passes. This abutment-socket is flared forwardly andits axis is arranged somewhat obliquely to the draw-bar to permit thenecessary vertical and lateral movements of the thrustrod. Theabutment-socket is held against rearward displacement in the drawbar byan internal stop or lug h, which is arranged at the top of the draw-barand against which a shoulder Zz at the rear end of said socket abuts.The abutment-socket is flat at its top and on one of its sides, andthese dat surfaces bear against the top and the lcorresponding side wallofthe hollow draw-bar, as shown in Fig. 6. The abutment-socket is heldin this position by a shoulder t', formed at its top and bearing againstor engaging behind an internal longitudinal iiange or rib t, arranged onthe upper portion of the drawbar, and by a longitudinal langej, formedon the lower portion of the abutment-socket adjacent to its flat sideand engaging behind a similar rib or ange j', which projects upwardlyfrom the bottom of the draw-bar. The anges t" and j of the draw-bar,While eonning the abutment-socket against lateral displacement, permitthe same to be conveniently slid rearwardly into place against thestop-lock 7i or to be withdrawn forwardly from the draw-bar.

K is the lock-spring surrounding the thrustrod and bearing at its frontend against a washer Zo, which in turn abuts against the eye f of therod and at its rear end against the front end of a bearing block orsleeve Z, Which in turn bears against the closed rear end of theabutment-socket. The thrust-rod slides freely through the bearing-blockZ, and the latter is provided with a convex rear end Z', which bearsagainst the concave bottom or rear end of the abutment-socket G, therebypermitting the rear portion of the thrust-rod IOO to rock or swivelfreely `in the abutmentsocket in adapting itself to the varying posi--tions of the lock. As shown in Fig. 3, the

bearing-block is hollow, and the rear end of the spring bears against aninternal shoulder m of said block.

As the abutment-socket is not secured in place by Cotter-pins or otherseparate fastenings, but is simply slid rearwardly into the guidewayformed by the longitudinal ribs i j' and the opposing corner of thehollow drawbar, the socket can be readily inserted and removed withoutspecial care, and the cost of the coupler is also reduced.

I claim as my invention-- l. The combination with the draw-head, thehollow draw-bar, the knuckle and the lock, of a hollow abutment orsocket removably seated in the draw-bar and flared toward the lock, athrust-rod guided in said socket and connected with the lock, and aspring applied to said rod and tending to hold the same in engagementwith the knuckle, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the draw-head, the knuckle and the lock, of thehollow draw-bar provided in its top and bottom with internallongitudinal retaining ribs or iianges, and in rear of said iange'switha stop, an abutment arranged in the draw-bar and removably seatedbetween said langes and the adjacent top and side walls of the draw-barand abutting against said stop, athrust-rod connected with the lock andguided in said abutment, and a spring applied to saidfrod between thelock and said abutment, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with the draw-head, the' hollow draw-bar, the knuckleand the lock; of a hollow forwardly-flaring abutment or socketremovablyseated in the draw-bar and provided with a concave rear end, abearingblock having a convex rear end which bears against thecorresponding rear end of the abutment-socket, a thrust-rod connectedwith the lock and passing through said bearingblock and the rear end ofthe abutment'- socket, and a spring applied to said rod and abutting atits rear end against said bearing block, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 3d day of May, 1900.

WILLARD F. RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

JNO. J. BONNER, CYEsTA l-Iomnsnok.

